Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Round and Round she goes...

And where she'll stop, no one knows! (well I don't know yet, for sure!)

Not quite a full circle yet--and more than a full circle will be needed! But perhaps not a full 540° of arc. The short rows are working as I hoped--the stripes remain evident.. They have changed, but the hem edge still has nice wedges of color.

As I mentioned, this scarf/shawl was inspired by one seen in a knitting magazine ad (you can see the original here—note it is a PDF—top row, right side)--I think mine is superior, (not because of anything I have done, but because of the lovely yarn-- this design makes the most of the Noro yarns long color way.)

Mine is clearly a knock off Inspired by the other... but it is different.I am not documenting the details, but basically, it's a series of short rows, to make wedges of knitting. The spacing of the short rows has changed as the number of stitches have increased, the wedges have changed shape along the way.

And at the same time, I am making a series of increases (1 increase at the hem edge every time I complete a short row wedge), with the basic knitting being done in a double garter stitch.. The fabric is soft and loosely knit.I tend to be a process knitter.. I enjoy seeing how patterns, yarns, increases, shaping and all the other details of knitting come together to create a design. I rarely wear shawls--and I wear scarves less often.

I wear hats even less, but I continue to design and knit them.

Socks are about the only thing I both knit and wear!

And really, I've only been knitting sock in earnest for the past 5 years!--before that, I didn't know about knitting 2 on 2, and had a very bad cast of second sock syndrome.

I've been enjoying knitting this spiral shawl, (even now when the rows are getting longer and longer with each 'wedge' that is completed!)

But I had no real plans to wear it! I was enjoying the process.. (the finished product? um, i dunno...)

What I did have plans ons, was my DIL's spinning wheel. (a folding Lendrum)

I knew she was spinning less, (I am amazed she get anything done for her self!) Her teen age son is not horrid, but he is a teen ager.. and then there is Miss B, age seven, and Master C, age 2 and some, who is, a wonderful, funny, clever child, but he is a normal 2 year old.. (ie, he is a holy terror!)

Besides, she works, and does Art, (I am, at my best, an artisan, more often I am a crafts person) but Sonya is an Artist—And while my son is a pretty good guy (he cooks, he cleans, he does laundry) he also works full time, and the bulk of the daily routine seems to fall on her shoulders!

Well, as I was saying, I decided to be a good friend to Sonya, and Help her, by storing her spinning wheel for a few years! (Thankfully, she was open to this idea!)

She, in response, will HELP me, by accepting the spiral shawl once it is finished! (Isn't she wonderful? As an other knitter, I know she appreciates hand knit goods.. and she wears scarfs and shawls!--(much more than I do!) I get the fun of knitting it.. (with out the chore of storing it!)

Well, I have the wheel already.. So I have to make an effort and get this scarf/shawl finished in a timely manor!